


question mark

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Coming Out, Gay Shiro (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Pining Lance (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Questioning, Relationship Advice, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:41:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24041509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: shiro knew this conversation was coming. he'd known it since day one.the way those two idiots stared at each other across the room. the way they smiled at each other. the way every time lance ranted and raved over allura, keith's face would fall, hiding behind dark bangs and folded arms...he was just surprised it took lance this long to figure it out.(THIS IS KLANCE. THERE IS NO SHALADIN CONTENT IN THIS FIC.)
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), i mean they're both mentioned?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 135





	question mark

**Author's Note:**

> i know the 'lance going to shiro for relationship advice' trope is v old and v overused, but. damn. that's sum good stuff right there if i do say so myself
> 
> this is v bad and self indulgent (i, too, want shiro to give me advice on crushes) but like? u can read it if u want :)

Someone knocked, twice, on Shiro's door.

It was late, at least 2300 hours, and the fact that someone needed to talk to him this late at night should have been a surprise, but. At this point, Takashi Shirogane was used to teenagers barging into his room during the ungodly hours because they needed a hug or to left off steam or share any other highly-adolescent burst of emotions. (It never bothered him, because he never slept. It wasn't like they were waking him up or anything.)

But this was the first time it happened on the IGF Atlas.

He let the journal he was reading fall closed and set it on the bed beside him, standing up. "Come in," he allowed.

The door to his room slid open, and Lance peeked shyly inside, hands in his pockets. "Hey, Shiro," he said quietly.

Shiro knew that voice by now. That dark-hours, lonely tone.

"Hey, Lance," Shiro said. He gave him a smile, to let him know he was welcome. (All of the kids were welcome. Always. Shiro sometimes felt as though they were his own.) "C'mon in."

Lance looked around, stepping inside. "Wow, captain's quarters, huh?" he joked half-heartedly.

Shiro laughed. "Yeah, I could you could call it that. I'm pretty sure it's the exact same as everyone else's, but..." He shook his head. "Anyway. What's up?"

The tips of Lance's ears went pink, and he looked away. "Well... actually, I... wanted to talk to you about something, and... sorry, I know it's late."

Shiro laughed, again. "C'mon, Lance, you know it's never too late for me. I haven't slept in, what, how long have we been doing this? Four, five years?"

Lance tried to laugh with him, but it was a futile attempt. Just a pathetic little 'hmph'. "Yeah... me neither. Not the whole time, I mean. Just. Haven't been sleeping well for the past couple days." He shook his head. "Anyway. Whatcha reading?" He asked, looking at the notebook on the bed.

Shiro felt his face warm. "It's, ah... it was my fiancee's old journal. He, um... he was lost during Sendak's attack here on Earth. Fighter pilot."

Lance's face changed, eyes wide. "Oh... Jesus, Shiro, I'm... I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know... you were engaged to Professor Wright, weren't you?"

Shiro nodded. "Yeah, it's... I don't really wanna talk about it. It's... still fresh." He tried to smile again, but it felt fake. Like an act. "So... what did you wanna talk about?"

Lance blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "Well... it's just. It's kind of personal? And - and you're the only one I know of that I can, like. Ask about it."

Shiro raised an eyebrow. "You're wondering what it's like to have a terminal illness?"

Lance frowned. "Wh - no. Wait, what? Shiro, you're sick? You're dying?"

Shiro laughed and shook his head. "Well, no. Not anymore. Forget about that." Then he realized. "Wait, you didn't know that?"

Lance shook his head frantically, eyes wide and horrified. "What the hell? No, I didn't know about that! Shiro!"

"Well, that's not a thing that's happening anymore, so. Forget I brought it up. I'm fine, Lance." he laughed. "Anyway, no. Let me guess. You're... questioning your sexuality."

Lance stopped shaking his head and stared at him, furrowing his eyebrows like that was an absolutely atrocious question.

Then his face fell. "How did you..." 

Shiro shook his head, dismissive. "Look, Lance; back when I worked at the Garrison, kids only ever asked me about three things. How to become an astronaut, what it was like to have a degenerative disease, or how I knew I was gay. And... well. You're already an astronaut."

Lance's face went red, and he looked away.

"So..." Shiro urged. "you... think you might like boys?"

Lance sputtered. "I-I don't know, okay? It's just -- a feeling I've had for a really long time now, and -- and I thought it was a phase, but... it hasn't gone away."

Shiro shook his head. "It... usually doesn't," he said quietly.

"And it's -- the guy that I feel things for, he -- he's not somebody that I ever thought I would like. Like, ever. But maybe, now that I think about it..." Lance's eyes were pools now, tears just overfilling the blue. "Maybe I felt that way for him since the beginning."

Shiro felt a pang in his chest. "Oh, hey; c'mon, now," he said softly. Lance wasn't crying yet, but it was only a matter of time. "Just -- just hang on, okay? I'll be right back."

Lance nodded, digging his fingers into his sleeves. He was starting to shake a little bit, and Shiro couldn't take this. He hated seeing the Paladins cry -- he hated it. He felt like it was his responsibility to keep them all safe and happy... most times, he felt like their dad. (He practically was their dad at this point. At least, he tried to be.) 

They were...

Well. 

They were his kids. And he wanted to protect them with everything he had.

He'd gone to the washroom adjacent to his quarters and hastily wadded together a few pieces of toilet paper, awkwardly handing them to Lance when he got back. "Here," he said simply, softly, like he wasn't sure what else to say.

Lance took them, hands trembling like a leaf in the wind. "Thanks," he said weakly, wiping at his eyes. He tilted his head back and blinked a few times, trying to hold back tears. Then he shook his head out, sighing. "Sorry. Long week. Long past couple years, actually."

Shiro laughed halfheartedly. "I get that," he agreed tiredly.

Lance frowned again to himself. "Yeah, I just... it sucks. Especially because like... I don't know. I definitely like girls -- I mean, you guys all know that -- but, it's just... this guy. This one stupid freaking guy."

Shiro nodded.

Then he couldn't hold it back any longer.

"Lance..." he said quietly, like he was trying not to scare him away, "I... I know who it is."

Lance looked up at him suddenly, conflicted. "You... you do?" he asked nervously.

Shiro nodded. “It’s...” he started, then lowered his voice, just in case. “It’s Keith, isn’t it.”

Phrased like a question.

Even though it really wasn’t anything worth questioning.

Lance fell apart.

“Oh, hey, now,” Shiro said. He opened his arms, then let them fall back down. “Do you need a hug?”

Lance nodded frantically, whimpering, and took a shaky step forward. Shiro took him in, trying to soothe the nerves of out him.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Shiro told him quietly. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“I didn’t mean —“ Lance choked out, digging his fingers into the fabric of Shiro’s uniform, “I didn’t want to like him, Shiro, but I do, and — and I can’t help it.”

“Hey, hey, now, you don’t have to help it,” Shiro whispered. “You don’t have to help it, Lance; it’s okay. It’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with you. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You’re okay.”

Lance hiccuped, and Shiro rubbed his back. 

“You should go talk to him,” Shiro said softly.

Lance laughed wetly and stepped back, drawing his forearm across his eyes. “Are you nuts?” he asked pathetically. “You want me to tell Keith I like him? Yeah, that’ll go great.”

Shiro shrugged. “I don’t know... you might get an answer you might really like.”

Lance laughed again, hugging himself. 

Then he realized Shiro wasn’t joking.

He looked up, confused. “Wait... hold on a second,” he said slowly. “Shiro, are you saying...” his voice fell to a whisper. “Did — did Keith say —?”

Shiro smiled. “Well... it was a long time ago,” he admitted, “right around when we first became Paladins of Voltron, but... Keith might have mentioned you a couple of times.”

Lance looked at him like he couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “Are you... pulling my leg?”

Shiro laughed. “Lance. C’mon. Do you really think I would do that to you? Now?”

Lance stared at him.

Then he started bouncing up and down.

“Oh my God,” he said. He spun in a little circle, arms folded behind his head. “Shiro — Shiro! I can’t believe —“ he laughed, wildly, and threw his arms around Shiro’s waist. “Thank you,” he whispered, happily.

Shiro was caught off guard at first, then he smiled to himself and hugged him back. “Well, you’re welcome,” he said simply.

Lance jumped back, with that Lance McClain megawatt grin back on his face, a glint in his eyes. “I-I gotta go talk to him!”

“Uh,” Shiro said. “Maybe not now.” He nodded in the direction of the clock on the nightstand.

Lance squinted to read the time, then frowned. Then the smile came back, and he bounced one more time, like he was about to run a marathon. “Then I gotta go to bed so that morning comes faster!”

Shiro laughed, surprised. “Well, okay, then. Go on, Lance.”

Lance just kept beaming. “Thanks!” he blurted one more time, then sprinted out the door.

Shiro shook his head, smiling fondly to himself.

“Dork,” he muttered happily.

He sat back down and picked up Adam’s notebook again, cracking it open to the page where he left off.

Time to continue his own love story.

After all, he’d just finished writing a new one.

**Author's Note:**

> u know what i like? kudos and comments baybey
> 
> thanx 4 reading!


End file.
